Amsterdam goes GroenLinks, VVD wins in other big cities

In Amsterdam, the election hoardings have been pre-printed. Photo: DutchNews.nl

The decline of the Labour party is particularly marked in its stronghold big cities. In Amsterdam, for example, GroenLinks is now the biggest party, followed by D66 and the VVD.

Denk, the new party formed by two ex Labour MPs of Turkish origin, has overtaken the PvdA in both Rotterdam and The Hague and is bigger than the PVV in Amsterdam, with 7.5% of the vote.

‘The new Netherlands has been given a voice in parliament’, Denk leader Tunahan Kuzu said as the results came in.

The PVV, which did not make the breakthrough many expected, was the biggest party in a handful of local authority areas, largely in the east of Groningen and Drenthe, and in the south, where Wilders originates. In particular, the PVV emerged as the biggest party in Maastricht and Venlo.